Raspberry Ricotta Muffins

You must know by now how much holidays excite me. I love them. What’s better than a celebration? Nothing.

Valentine’s Day is no exception, and although I’ll be working all weekend, I’ll still be celebrating in spirit. This year I’ll have a hand in making lots of other couples’ days extra-special when I cook for them at the restaurant, and that’s heartwarming enough for me.

These raspberry ricotta muffins bring back sweet, delicious memories. Every year on Valentine’s morning my brother James Henry and I would wake up to heart-shaped blueberry muffins that my mom had made. I may be a bit of a food snob, but even now a good Martha White blueberry muffin sounds like perfection.

These muffins are inspired by – are an ode to – the ones my mother made for us all of those years. It took a lot to please us brat kids, but Mom, you did it with the heart-shaped muffins.

These muffins don’t have blueberries inside, they’re not from Martha White mix, and they weren’t made by my mom, but these raspberry ricotta muffins still appease my nostalgic appetite. The raspberries are a beautiful pop of color and the lemon zest brings brightness to an otherwise dreary winter. Ricotta makes the batter thick and dense, but the final product is light and moist inside.

In short: these muffins are an answer to a mid-winter prayer.

Baking is my thing right now. It’s unfortunate timing because I’ve given up sugar for Lent, but all I want to do right now is bake. So you may be seeing a lot of baked goods on the blog for the next several weeks – but that won’t mean that I’m eating more than just a taste. Which means – anyone in the Tuscaloosa area want some sweet treats? Hit me up.